TACOMAFIFTH SATURDAY CONTRADANCEMarch 30, 2013 |
Note: please read this notice to the end for special parking and hall entry info, due to this being Easter weekend, and the fact that we use a church social hall.Hope you'll join us, at Wells Hall. Singles, couples, first-timers, and experienced dancers; All are Welcome. No partner needed; Alcohol and smoke-free; Workshop for newcomers (see below.) We have a great time, dancers, caller, and musicians too! Sponsored by the Seattle Folklore Society. Laura Me' Smith will teach and call the dances - well known throughout the region, she just finished calling a lovely dance in Tacoma w/ the band KGB, and has her own regular monthly series on Second Saturdays in Kirkland. Those of you with long memories may recall that she was the original founding caller of the Fifth Saturday series. She is a sweet and gracious caller known for the connection she makes with the dancers.The band, Small Pleasures, will be Vivian Williams, Phil Katz on melodeons, Phil Williams on guitar, and special guest Terry Wergeland on piano. We go back to the start of the contra dance tradition in Puget Sound; Vivian and Phil Williams to the early contradances here at the Inside Passage in Pioneer Square in the 1970's, and Phil Katz to the initial Saturday contradance series in Puget Sound (the Salmonberry 2nd Saturday dance begun in the University Friends' Meeting House in 1980.) Terry, the fine contra piano and accordion player in Red Crow, has played with P & V Williams since the early 90's. His classical & jazz background and years of experience playing for a wide range of dances (ballroom, swing, contra, square, English, Scottish) provide broad perspective from which he can focus sharply on matching the style of (and blending with) his fellow musicians, and (above all else!) serving the dance. (I can testify to Terry's talents; I just never miss a Red Crow gig - PK.)Our band plays "close to the dance and the dancers", choosing our tunes to match the dance chosen by the caller, and our styling to support the dancers as each dance evolves. It is a pleasure to play for our friends out on the dance floor.We call our contra tune repertoire Northwest and Yankee music. We bring together the Yankee contra repertoire of the Northeast, along with tunes from the pioneer Northwest. Many of the latter were brought to light due to the musical, cultural, and historical scholarship of Vivian Williams, a degreed cultural anthropologist, as well as a champion contest fiddler. They fit flawlessly with the Northeast tunes - not surprising since they all trace back to the popular dance tunes of the mid-nineteenth century. We've recently added some Scottish repertoire from a 19th century Glasgow-area manuscript (via San Francisco) unearthed by Vivian in British Columbia. We think you'll enjoy dancing to this musical history; they were fun tunes to dance to back in the day, and they still are.
Specifics on the Event:
The Fifth Saturday Contradance will be held at Christ Church Wells Hall, 310 North K Street, Tacoma - directions below. It is well-known as one of the sweetest halls in Puget Sound. (Note: It's the same location as the Tacoma Contra Dance that's held on Third Saturdays most months.) The March 30 dance will run from 8:00 - 11:00 pm. The cost is $8.00. As always, a 10% discount will be available to Seattle Folklore Society members who request it. There will be a newcomers' workshop at 7:30 pm. Contra dancing is "not rocket science", and by the third dance, anyone looking out over the crowd will likely be unable to tell who just learned that evening! Laura Me' has a great manner, teaching; she will "bring the newcomers along" with great skill and graciousness, just as she has at the dance she founded in Kirkland. We are proud of the tradition of asking newcomers and visitors to dance, and looking after them on the dance floor. (Experienced dancers are invited to bring friends they've been wanting to introduce to contra dancing, and to help out by dancing in the workshop.)Please avoid wearing scented products (e.g. perfume, aftershave, cologne, scented hand lotion) to the Fifth Saturday Contra Dance. (Dancing, being aerobic, magnifies their scent, and also the effect of the solvents used therein!) Some dancers are hypersensitive or allergic to such products. A word about children's attendance: It is fine for older children and teenagers who are comfortable interacting with adults on their own. However, it is not appropriate for small children unless they are on the sidelines supervised by adults at all times. Please note for this month only due to Easter weekend, special information on hall entry and parking. Our hosts, Christ Episcopal Church of Tacoma, have been gracious enough to allow us to use Wells Hall, their social hall, even on Easter weekend, and even though that very Saturday evening a number of their members will be participating in an Easter Vigil service in their Sanctuary. It is an indication of the cooperation and support that both we and the (3rd Saturday) Tacoma Contra Dance have always received for our community activity. The church's Office Administrator assures us that the physical distance between the sanctuary and social hall, and the soundproofing of the sanctuary, mean that our event will not disturb the parishioners. Since it is their church, after all, they do reasonably ask the following cooperation from us: 1) Please don't park in the church's rear parking lot off the alley or on "K" street right in front of the courtyard (%%); that may mean a little further walk, just this once. 2) Also, please enter the dance from the side door off the side parking lot (the lot between Wells Hall and the modern medical building next door), so that the church members can enter by their own courtyard. Thank you.%% The section of "K" street right across from the church courtyard has long been posted as a "residents only" zone, so please don't park there either - tickets have been given.Directions to Wells Hall
310 North "K" Street, Tacoma
From Seattle, "Eastside" of Lake Washington, or Des Moines
Please note modified directions, due to closure of Stadium Blvd. for repairs.I-5 south to exit 133 (Tacoma City Center). Then take I-705 and Schuster Parkway exit on the right (still called I-705). From there again stay right and take the Stadium Way (first) exit from Schuster Pkwy. At the top of the exit ramp, turn left (!!), go two blocks to South 9th, turn right and go up the hill, turn right on South Yakima, go two stop lights (by which time South Yakima has fed you into South "I" Street) and turn left on Division Ave. Go two blocks on Division, turn right onto North "K". Wells Hall is the second building on the left. Getting back to I705 and I5: Go back out to Division, turn left, go two blocks, then right into South "I" Street. Follow it back the way you came (curving left into South Yakima after you cross South 6th). Continue to South 9th, take a left, and follow South 9th down the hill; it'll feed you directly into an on ramp to I-705, heading toward I-5.
From Olympia
Take Interstate 5 to Tacoma, exit 132 (Route 16-Gig Harbor exit). Follow Route 16 and take the Union Avenue exit and make a right turn. Follow Union to 6th Street and make a right. Follow 6th about a mile to a multi-way intersection; there take a soft left into Division Ave (keeping "It's Greek to Me" on your right side.) Follow Division to North "K" Street, where you take a left. Wells Hall is the second building on the left.From West of the Narrows Bridge
Take WA 16 east across the Narrows, and take exit 1B for Union Ave. Keep left at the fork; follow signs for University of Puget Sound. Turn left onto S Union Ave (at which point you'll be northbound.) Go about 1.5 mile and turn right into 6th Avenue. Follow 6th about a mile to a multi-way intersection; there take a soft left into Division Ave (keeping "It's Greek to Me" on your right side.) Follow Division to North "K" Street, where you take a left. Wells Hall is the second building on the left. For more information please contact:Phil Katz - philkatz@ZZZhalcyon.com - 206 722 8228.
(You know what to do with the Z's)